In its most general form the invention provides a method of and apparatus for graphically marking a series of portable objects, each portable object being graphically marked on a respective zone by a respective marking device, wherein the marking devices are configured to perform the same marking operation simultaneously on a plurality of portable objects.
Accordingly, a first aspect of the invention provides a method of graphically marking a series of portable objects, each portable object being graphically marked by a plurality of graphical marking procedures, the method comprising: receiving a first portable object at a first graphical marking station for graphical marking of a first zone of the first portable object by a first graphical marking means of the first graphical marking station; receiving a second portable object at a second graphical marking station for graphical marking of a first zone of the second portable object by a second graphical marking means of the second graphical marking station; graphically marking a first marking layout on the first zone of the first portable object by means of the first graphical marking means and simultaneously graphically marking the same first marking layout on the first zone of the second portable object by means of the second graphical marking means; transferring the first portable object to the second graphical marking station for graphical marking of a second zone of the first portable object by the second graphical marking means, wherein the second zone is different to the first zone; receiving a further portable object at the first graphical marking station for graphical marking of a second zone of the further portable object, by the first graphical marking means of the first graphical marking station; graphically marking a second marking layout on the second zone of the first portable object by means of the second graphical marking means, wherein the second marking layout is different to the first marking layout, and simultaneously graphically marking the same second marking layout on the second zone of the further portable object by means of the first graphical marking means. The further portable object may be subsequently transferred to the second graphical marking station for graphical marking of a first zone of the further portable object, by the second graphical marking means with the first graphical marking layout if so required.
A second aspect of the invention provides a graphical marking apparatus for graphically marking a series of portable objects by a plurality of graphical marking procedures carried out sequentially on each of the plurality of portable objects, each portable object having a first zone to be marked with a first graphical marking layout and a second different zone to be marked with a second different graphical marking layout, the apparatus comprising: a first marking station comprising first graphical marking means operable to graphically mark the first graphical marking layout or, alternatively, the second graphical marking layout on a portable object of the series of portable objects; and a marking location for receiving the portable object to be marked; a second marking station comprising second graphical marking means operable to graphically mark the first graphical marking layout or, alternatively the second graphical marking layout on a portable object; and a marking location for receiving the portable object to be marked; a transfer device for transferring a portable object from the first marking station to the second marking station; wherein the first marking station is operable to graphically mark the first graphical marking layout on the first zone of a portable object, of the series of portable objects, when said portable object is located at the marking location; and to graphically mark the second graphical marking layout on the second zone of a further portable object of the series of portable objects when said further portable object is located at the marking location; wherein the second marking station is operable to graphically mark the second graphical marking layout on the second zone of the said portable object of the series of portable objects when said portable object is located at the marking location; and to graphically mark the first graphical marking layout on the first zone of the said further portable object of the series of portable objects when the said further portable object is located at the marking location; and wherein the first marking station and the second marking station are configured to simultaneously graphically mark the first graphical marking layout on a respective portable object, and to simultaneously graphically mark the second graphical marking layout on a respective portable object.
It will be appreciated that the first zone of the second object may or may not correspond to the first zone of the first object. The objects may receive the same marking layout on the same zone or on different zones.
In embodiments of the invention:                the first zone of the corresponding portable object corresponds to at least a portion of a first surface of the said portable object and the second zone corresponds to at least a portion of a second opposing surface of the said portable object, the method further comprising or the apparatus further comprising means for flipping the said portable object after a first surface has been graphically marked by the first graphical marking means so that the second surface can be graphically marked by the second graphical marking means.        the first graphical marking station and the second graphical marking station may each be provided with a first marking location and a second distinct marking location;        the method may further comprise or the apparatus may further comprise means for receiving a portable object from the series of portable objects at the first marking location; directing the first graphical marking means to the first marking location; graphically marking the said portable object at the first marking location while simultaneously receiving another portable object, from the series of portable objects, at the second marking location; redirecting the first graphical marking means to the second marking location; and graphically marking the other portable object at the second marking location while simultaneously replacing the said portable object at the first marking location with a further portable object from the series of portable objects.        the same graphical marking layout may be performed at the first and subsequently at the second marking location        the first marking station may graphically mark at least two sequential portable objects with the first marking layout on the first zone of the respective portable object before graphically marking at least two further sequential portable objects with the second marking layout on the second zone of the respective portable objects.        the first marking station may graphically mark four sequential portable objects with the first marking layout on the first zone of the respective portable object before graphically marking four further sequential portable objects with the second marking layout on the second zone of the respective portable objects.        the graphical marking means may include a laser and the directing means comprises optical means for enabling the beam from the laser to be deflected alternately on to one or other of the marking locations.        each marking location may be provided with a corresponding transfer path in the marking station for transferring a portable object to the corresponding marking location.        
At least parts of the methods according to the invention may be computer implemented. The methods may be implemented in software on a programmable apparatus. They may also be implemented solely in hardware or in software, or in a combination thereof.
Since at least parts of the present invention can be implemented in software, the present invention can be embodied as computer readable code for provision to a programmable apparatus on any suitable carrier medium. A tangible carrier medium may comprise a storage medium such as a floppy disk, a CD-ROM, a hard disk drive, a magnetic tape device or a solid state memory device and the like. A transient carrier medium may include a signal such as an electrical signal, an electronic signal, an optical signal, an acoustic signal, a magnetic signal or an electromagnetic signal, e.g. a microwave or RF signal.